‘The Child in the Basement’

During the Scholar Mini Seminar I am attending at the 2013 Aspen Ideas Festival, scholars were given a story to read. ‘The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ , by Ursula K. Le Guin, which is a fascinating and heart breaking story at the same time. It is a story of a city where people are very happy, dancing, music, horse racing, drinking and yes, ‘exciting the pleasure of sex beyond all belief’. Omelas City had no rules of the society. Society without monarchy and slavery, no secret police, neither bombs. They had religion but without clergy. The people were happy and their children the happiest.

The story talks of happiness and this ‘happiness is based on a just discrimination of what is necessary, what is neither necessary nor destructive, and what is destructive. In the middle category – that of unnecessary but non-destructive – that of comfort, luxury, exuberance…’ People from neighbouring towns were flowing to Omelas to enjoy. It was a joyous city. People were pausing to listen to a child of nine or ten who was playing a wooden flute. The festival, summer festival was beginning.

It was however happiness built on injustice.

In a basement under one of the beautiful buildings, there was a room without windows, and doors were locked. There was a child. Locked in one corner of the small room, dirty and dark. The child was been fed once a day with kicks. All the people of Omelas knew her existence and that she had to be there. ‘If the child were brought up into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned and fed and comforted, that would be a good thing, indeed; but if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed’.

These were the terms. Happiness to many at the expense of injustice to one? The people of Omelas accepted these strict and absolute terms. ‘They know that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark, the other one, the flute player, could make no joyful music as young riders line up in their beauty for the race in the sunlight..’. However some people couldn’t stomach this injustice. Their solution? They decided to get out of Omelas. They left Omelas.

Our seminar moderator asked: ‘Those who left, are they heroes or cowards?’

In our daily lives, I ask: ‘Who is ‘the child in the basement’?

I have been a parliamentarian for almost eight years now and the constant complaints of people against ‘wabunge’ are the perks. – ‘How much do we get paid in comparison to the real work we do?’ Yes. The State keeps us happy. But contrary to Omelas, injustice was to one against the happiness of many. Parliamentarians, in Kenya cunningly dubbed MPigs, are fewer. A handful kept happy at the injustice of the majority. And when asked to act to end this injustice, they won’t as it ends their happiness.

A teacher transferring knowledge to the next generation is paid TSH 270,000 a month while MPigs of Tanzania pocket TSH 330,000 a day. Yes, we know this injustice and we make a lot of noises in the floors of the house. But it is a terrible paradox – can we be less happier in return for justice of the majority?Should they give up this ‘unnecessary income’ and reduce the beers and nyama choma? And the girls (and boys of course) gathering in the capital, that has never really been the capital? As the people of Omelas the MPigs’ tears for the bitter injustice dry out when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality. Even giving up a ‘sitting perk’ is like robbing their entitlement. Failure to reconcile ‘justice with happiness’.

The “child in the basement” in Tz are many; to list the few:
-those poor farmers who respond to the call of Kilimo ni uti wa mgongo”/ “Kilimo kwanza”, etc and invest in growing cotton, coffee, cashew -nuts, tea, (all the so called cash crops). Because after all hard labour, efforts and investing their last penny; its cash crops boards members and businessmen who benefit. Boards are met to discuss for the farmers they never know even consult them (mbaya zaidi vikao vyao wanalipwa posho nono). Businessman who buy at low price using cheating scale!

– Those young men and women in towns/ cities and village centres- used by politician during election and after winning none of them remembered them even to ensure that the social services are available and accessible to their localities

-Those poor children in streets (watoto wa mtaani); whose stories are collected and documented for advocacy and fund raising but none after getting dola za wazungu they are just fed with beans, wearing used clothes, sleeping in poor condition while managers of children centres lives in luxury with their families!

-Are most of Tanzanians who are only remember with leaders during election but after they are forgotten and when they want to shout and demand for their rights; the response is just “WAPIGWE HAO, TUMECHOKA”

It hurts, and sin (for those believe in God) to enjoy live on the interest of others!